Hammock or swinging couch.



H. A. VOSSMER.

HAMMOOK 0R SWINGING COUCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1911.

1,022, 1 64. Patentd Apr. 2, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLRNOGRAPH C04. WASHINGTON. u; C.

HENRY A. VOSSMER, OF BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

HAMMOCK 0R SWINGING COUCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

Application filed June 15, 1911. Serial No. 633,302.

To a l whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. VOSSMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brighton, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hammocks or Swinging Couches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hammocks, swinging couches and the like and has for its object to provide a device of this class which shall be better ventilated and consequently more sanitary than canvas hammocks of this general class now in common use and to provide a construction whereby the seat, back and arms shall be flexible yet without sagging and which shall provide a comfortable support for the body.

Another object is to provide an improved construction which may be left oiit in the rain, if desired, without injury and which will readily dry off after the rain.

Another object is to provide a construction which shall enable the same to be readily collapsed when desired.

To these ends, my invention consists in the novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawing: Figure l is a plan of a hammock or swinging couch embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows on said line. Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows on said line. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawing, 6 and 7 are longitudinal seat members, the former being located at the front and the latter at the back, 8, 8 are transverse seat members, 9 is a longitudinal back member and 10, 10 are transverse side arm members, all of these parts constituting the frame.

The longitudinal seat member 6 is provided with a series of horizontal holes 11 bored thereinto from the rear side thereof and is provided with a series of holes 12 relatively larger than the holes 11 and bored thereinto from the lower side thereof, the

holes 11 meeting the holes 12, as shown in Fig. 4. The member 7 is provided with a series of horizontal holes 13 bored thereinto from the front toward the back and a series of vertical holes 141- bored thereinto from the top toward the bottom and meeting the holes 13, respectively, as shown in Fig. 4.

The back member 9 is provided with a series of vertical holes 15 bored thereinto from the bottom toward the top thereof and is provided with a series of relatively larger holes 16 bored thereinto from the back thereof and meeting the holes 15, respectively, as shown in Fig. 4.

A series of flexible members 17, preferably consisting of cords or ropes of a suitable diameter, extend through the holes 11, respectively, across the space between the members 6 and 7, horizontally into the holes 13, thence vertically through thcholes 1 1, thence upwardly into the holes 15, opposite ends of these members being secured preferably by providing the same with knots 18 and 19.

Each of the transverse seat members 8, S is provided with a series of horizontal holes 20 extending thereinto from the inner face thereof and is provided with a series of vertical holes 21 extending thereinto from the upper side thereof and meeting the holes 20, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2. Each of the side arm members 10 is provided with a series of vertical holes 22 extending thereinto from the under side thereof and with a series of relatively larger holes 23 extending thereinto from the outer face thereof and meeting the holes 22, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2.

A series of flexible members 24 preferably consisting of cord or rope of a suitable size extend from the holes 22 in one side arm downwardly from the holes 21 and 20 of the transverse seat member located therebelow and thence horizontally to the other and upwardly to the other side arm member. These flexible members are secured at their ends preferably by means of knots 25 formed on each end thereof and located in the holes 23, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2.

At the points where the flexible members 21 cross the flexible members 17, there are provided spindles 26 each having a longitudinal hole 27 through which one of the flexible members 17 extends and a transverse hole 28 through which one of the flexible members 24 extends, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The remaining spaces on all of the flexible members are occupied by identical hollow spindles 29 which are placed in the seat portion, back portion and arm portions of the hammock, the arrangement of the spindles being apparent from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2.

The transverse seat members 8, 8 are joined to the longitudinal seat members 6 and 7 preferably by what is commonly known as halved joints, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and the side arm members 10, 10 are joined to the back member 9 preferably by halved joints, as shown in Fig. 3. Preferably, however, these parts are secured to each other only by suitable flexible members as, for example, a rope 80, see particularly Fig. 3, extending upwardly through the front seat member 6 to the transverse seat member 8, thence through the side arm member 10 to a suitable suspension device preferably consisting of a gromet 33, thence downwardly through the rear end of the side arm member 10, through the back member 9, through the rear end of the transverse seat member 8, and finally through the longitudinal seat member 7 both ends of said rope being preferably provided with knots 81, as shown, located below the seat members 6 and 7. Preferably, the ropes 30 also are provided with spindles 32 identical with the spindles 29 hereinbefore referred to, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

It will now be evident that when the structure is suspended by means of the gromets 33, it will swing like a hammock and will provide flexible and comfortable seat, back and arms, yet without sagging, and thus make a comfortable support for the body. It will also be evident that if the construc tion is of wood, it will be perfectly sanitary, since it is well ventilated, and it has the further advantage that it may be left out in the rain, if desired, without injury and will readily dry off after the rain. Another ad vantage is that, if desired, the frame members may be disjointed from each other and the whole structure readily collapsed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1. A hammock or the like having, in combination, a frame comprising two members each provided with a series of holes extending thereinto from one side and a series of relatively larger holes extending thereinto from another side and communicating with the first-mentioned holes, respectively, a series of flexible members extending from one of said members to the other and into the first-mentioned holes, respectively, said flexible members being provided respectively with knots located in said larger holes, respectively, and a plurality of series of hollow spindles, each of said flexible members extending through one of said series.

2. A hammock or the like having, in combination, a frame comprising two opposite longitudinal seat members, two opposite transverse seat members, a longitudinal back member, and two transverse side arm members, a plurality of hollow spindles interposed between said transverse seat members and said transverse side arm members, a plurality of hollow spindles interposed between the rear longitudinal seat member and said longitudinal back member, a plurality of hollow spindles interposed between said longitudinal seat members, and a plurality of flexible members passing through said spindles and connecting said seat members, said back member and said side arm members.

3. A hammock or the like having, in combination? a frame comprising two opposite longitudinal seat members, two opposite transverse seat members, a longitudinal back member and two transverse side arm members, a series of flexible members extending from said back member to and through one of said longitudinal seat members located therebelow and extending thence to the other longitudinal seat member, a second. series of flexible members extending from. one of said side arm members to and through one of said transverse seat members thence to and through the other of said transverse seatmembers, and thence to the other of said side arm members, and a plurality of series of hollow spindles through which said se ries of flexible members extend, said flexible members and said spindle thereon forming a flexible seat, a flexible back, and flexible sides.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. VOSSMER.

Witnesses:

LOUIS A. JONES, SADm V. MCCARTHY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

